Page 34 of Not the Plan

“…an old-school politician,” Drew finished. “As clichéd as it is, I think he really enjoys maintaining his sleezeball image.” He eyed Karim. “You won’t share this with him?”

“No. In fact, I had hoped to get your read on things.”

A passing waiter offered glasses of champagne.

“He seems to revel in it, but deep down, I think he’s a sad little kid. A very adulterous one.” Drew shrugged and sipped, scanning the room.

“That’s another question I have,” Karim said. “But first, what are we looking for?”

“Blond, brunette, redhead, Black, white, Latina, Asian, turquoise, tall, short, whatever. Just make sure she’s young and not fat. Not very bright is a plus.”

“Oh-kay.” Karim sipped. “You were going to say something about his marriage?”

“Yeah. He and his wife have an agreement. He brings home power, money, and any prestige he can maintain. She does the photo ops, campaigns, and manages the kids. And they live their separate lives. She would have come tonight, but she’s in Barbados with her yoga teacher. Or tennis coach. I forget which.” Hewaved a hand in the air, swatting away the idea that it might have made a difference. “Official line is that she’s under the weather.”

Karim tried to absorb without judgment, a little sorry for Julian and his wife. Maybe his compassion was misplaced because he understood the pain of an unsuccessful marriage. There was no way for him to know if Julian and his wife were okay with mutual infidelity. That was well beyond an appropriate conversation to have with his boss. But Julian clearly didn’t care about appropriateness if he sent his aides out on missions to hunt for women, something Karim wasn’t about to do.

—

Julian spotted them as he entered the cocktail party. He waved them over to join his conversation with a woman in her early fifties.

“Gloria,” Julian said. “I’d like to introduce my new legislative director, Karim Sarda. Karim, this is Assemblywoman Hughes.”

“Nice to meet you, Assemblywoman,” he said, offering his hand.

“Well,” she said. “It is very, very nice to meet you, young man.” She took her time checking him out. “I see the reality is even better than the rumors.”

Karim’s throat was sandpaper.

“Um, thank you,” he managed.

“Julian,” she said, still admiring Karim. “I’m looking forward to supporting your wine bill when it comes over to the assembly. But I have a few questions. I’m sure this charming young man could stop by my office sometime and illuminate me on the merits of supporting it.”

“What Madam Assemblywoman wants,” Julian said, “Madam Assemblywoman gets.”

“If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen, I haven’t been here long, and you know how sensitive some people get if you don’t say hello. I look forward to seeing you soon, Karim.” She walked away.

“Well,” Julian said, a hand on Karim’s shoulder. “Looks like you might bring more to the team than just your mental skill set.”

Karim’s desire to start over in California did not extend that far. Julian chortled.

“Don’t worry. That bill isn’t going anywhere, she just doesn’t know it yet. You and your considerable attributes are off the hook—for now.”

Karim didn’t try to keep the bite out of his laughter with Julian and Drew. After a few more introductions and outright pickup attempts, he excused himself to the restroom. Taking his time at the sink, he returned to his checklist.

Move to California—check

Find a job—check

Places to live—check

Ah. I wasn’t specific. I didn’t say, “Find a job with a normal boss who isn’t going to try to pimp me out to advance his agenda.”He ripped a paper towel out of the dispenser and returned to the cocktail party.

As he took the scenic route back to Julian, a woman in a vibrant blue dress caught his eye. She was chatting with an older woman in a long yellow dress. The younger one had her back to him, which he greatly appreciated. Her dress was short, but appropriate, revealing sexy legs that went on for days. Her ass was perfect, just the sort Karim never got enough of: a little large, round, and high. He wanted to run over and sink his teeth into it. Narrow waist, one shoulder left bare by her dress. She wore her hair up, a restrained cascade of curls he wanted to take down and run his fingers through.

He was trying to come up with an approach when she and the other woman turned to go into a different section of the room. His heart stopped.

CHAPTER TWELVE

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